McKenna Faith headlines diverse lineup at Tehama District Fair

County fairs and farm towns go together like funnel cakes and cold lemonade, and the Tehama District Fair in Red Bluff is no exception.

From the moment the gates swing open on Thursday to the final bell on Sunday, the fair promises a full slate of entertainment, exhibits, carnival rides, livestock displays, auctions, jugglers and even a hypnotist.

Mandy Staley, the fair’s CEO, said an updated premium book has prompted more fairgoers to compete for a ribbon in the still exhibits. “Baked goods, pictures, junk robots … just tons of different things. We have a lot more entries than we normally have,” Staley said.

Friday night’s highlight is the “Baile Mexicano” in the Pauline Davis Pavilion that features several Mexican bands and Saturday night is the premiere of mixed martial arts fighting, “something crazy we have never done before,” Staley says.

Earlier on Saturday is the livestock auction, where beef, sheep, swine, rabbits, chickens and goats — all raised with loving care by 4-H and Future Farmers of America club members — are paraded before bidders. The sale of champions begins at 1 p.m.

Sunday night is the traditional Destruction Derby, a staple of fairs throughout the North State, while in the Pauline Davis Pavilion there will be a Mexican rodeo with live music.

McKenna Faith(Photo: Contributed photo)

All of it is the kind of down-home fun that McKenna Faith, the headline performer on the Midway Stage on Friday and Saturday, knows well. A native of Sebastopol who grew up in Ukiah, Faith was a farm girl and an avid barrel racer.

“We had horses, pigs, all the different animals,” she said. She started barrel racing at age 8 and kept it up until she was 15. “It’s definitely crazy and competitive but it’s fun.”

An interest in writing and recording music finally meant the end of her racing days, and an appearance at the 2011 Sonoma Country Music BBQ, where she opened for Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan and Thompson Square, set the teenager on her way to a show business career.

“It was super fun. I performed there, got to meet Dierks Bentley, who is super cool. It was a huge festival and I was playing in front of 30,000 people. I wasn’t nervous, just really excited.”

After roaming around the North State, picking up gigs singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sporting events, Faith moved to Nashville to focus on her songwriting and network. Her debut single, “Somethin’ Somethin,’” cracked the Top 100 on country charts. She started headlining shows at fairs, casinos and nightclubs around the country.

Faith, 23, is now touring to support her fourth recording, “Heartstealer,” and has been featuring the single, “Whiskey Kisses.”

Homegrown favorite Chad Bushnell will be performing Thursday on the Midway Stage and the reggae band, Let Us Chant, is scheduled to perform Sunday.